Elevating medicinal plants
It is known that Mr. Luong Van Tuyen is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Tan Thanh Commune Youth Union and Director of the Viet Herb Cooperative. The cooperative was formerly known as the VietGAP Orange Group, with the aim of developing and consuming better oranges for members and people.
Mr. Tuyen recalls: In 2019, the cooperative was established with 10 members. After 1 year of operation, the oranges had yellow leaves and were dying. Faced with this situation, the cooperative held a meeting and agreed to expand production of new products based on the old orange area. From there, it was decided to invest in planting and deeply processing herbal teas, which are considered the local strength.
Mr. Tuyen added, I used to work as a business manager for some companies, with a stable income, but then I decided to return to my hometown to start a business. At first, it was very difficult, sometimes I felt discouraged, luckily my family encouraged me. After that, many members and I realized the strengths of local medicinal plants such as: Polyscias fruticosa, Solanum procumbens, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Xạ đen, Sweet grass... Meanwhile, people grow and sell them on the market very cheaply, leading to unstable income.
True to his word, Mr. Tuyen and his members researched products that could make use of available raw materials, as well as create jobs for local farm workers. The cooperative is currently managing a raw material area of nearly 5 hectares, purchasing all products for members and local people. Creating jobs for 5 workers at the cooperative and dozens of members, local people have jobs, stable incomes, many families have enough to eat, and have risen out of poverty.
An employee of the Vietnamese Herbal Cooperative said: I have been working here for a while, with an average salary of 6 million/month. In addition, my family also has several acres of medicinal herbs, which the Cooperative consumes all, so the annual income is stable. Up to now, the children are going to school and all the family's living expenses have been guaranteed. My husband used to work as a construction worker in Hanoi, with an unstable salary. In 2021, due to the epidemic, he decided to quit his job and return to his hometown to grow medicinal herbs. I just hope that the Cooperative will develop further, both consuming products and expanding the raw material area so that more people can participate.
After many efforts, Thao Moc Viet Cooperative has launched many tea bag products including: Liver detox tea, Tam An tea, Thanh Xuan tea, Bat Tien Chi Moc tea, Cam Thao Moc tea... Although the products were not launched until the end of 2022, they have been positively received by consumers.
The bold will of the Tay boy
To "monopolize" and have a solid foothold in the market, Mr. Tuyen has invested heavily in the brand and trademark "Viet Herbs" and in November 2022, the Intellectual Property Office approved a valid application. Also in 2022, the Cooperative participated in the evaluation and classification of OCOP products, resulting in 3 products including: Perilla tea, licorice tea, and Tam An tea achieving 3-star OCOP. In 2023, the Cooperative plans to develop 4 more 4-star products and compete to upgrade some 2022 products to 4 stars.
Talking about upcoming plans, Mr. Tuyen confided: Hopefully in 2023, the cooperative will strive to sell 30,000 boxes (equivalent to nearly 20 tons of fresh ingredients) to the market, and in the first quarter of 2023 alone, nearly 10,000 products will be supplied to the market. In the second quarter of 2023, products sold at supermarkets and stores in Hung Yen, Hanoi and 7 stores in Tuyen Quang have shown positive signs. Along with that, the cooperative has put products on the PostMart and KTS trading floors for consumption. I am placing my hopes on this "gamble" (laughs) because once successfully listed and accepted by consumers, I will not have to worry about product output and will only focus on developing raw material areas, ensuring stable product quality.
According to Mr. Tuyen, each product is like a medicine, so the selling price is always higher than other products on the market. For example, the perilla tea product of some businesses has 2 ingredients, but the product of the cooperative has 8 ingredients. Or the ca gai leo of other businesses has 2 ingredients, while the product of the cooperative has up to 4 ingredients, the selling price is also higher but still sells well. In the coming time, the cooperative will diversify its products such as: instant tea, instant fruit tea, along with continuing to expand the market to many other provinces and cities.
Mr. Tuyen said that to produce quality products, the most difficult part is the initial processing of raw materials and the mixing stage. To create flavor, initial processing determines up to 60%. Some businesses use sun-dried raw materials to reduce costs. With the cooperative, 100% of raw materials are freeze-dried, so the product flavor will be more special and have a clearer smell.
In particular, the cooperative has a clear goal for its products. Raw materials are grown according to organic standards. When people cooperate and join forces, they will commit to absolutely not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides in the care process, so that the products made by Vietnamese Herbs ensure the best value and safety, and can stand firm in the market.
Mr. Dam Ngoc Hung, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ham Yen district, said that in recent years, Ham Yen has had many young union members who dare to think and dare to do in production and business, especially in the agricultural sector, a typical example is young union member Luong Van Tuyen, Director of the Viet Herb Cooperative. The Cooperative has developed 7 tea bag products, with mostly locally available materials.
Mr. Hung added that member Luong Van Tuyen is not only a pioneer in the field of manufacturing and processing products from medicinal plants, but also a pioneer in digital transformation. His acumen in approaching digital transformation has helped the product gain a foothold in the market.
With his love for his homeland, the will of a youth union member who dares to think, dares to do, and a desire to increase the value of medicinal plants, Mr. Tuyen's work has initially brought results, creating jobs, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and enriching the locality. Thanks to that, Mr. Tuyen was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his outstanding achievements in production, business, solidarity to help each other get rich, and sustainably reduce poverty in 2022.
Saying goodbye to Mr. Tuyen and many other members, I hope that the vast green medicinal plant growing area in front of us will be expanded, at that time many members and people in Ham Yen district and further away in Tuyen Quang province will have access to and widely grow them.
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